Inter Milan 2-0 River Plate Player Ratings: Nerazzurri Seal the Top Spot in the Group After Defeating a 9-man River Plate Side

Inter Milan has secured their place in the round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup after a 2-0 victory against River Plate. The first half was dull, but the second half was full of action and drama as Cristian Chivu's side scored two goals after River went a man down.

The first half between the sides was mediocre as they looked a bit cautious and did not take many chances. The build-ups from both sides were poor, as they were either intercepted by the defence or were too easy for the goalkeepers. Inter Milan had only six shots on goal, out of which none were on target, whereas River Plate had five shots, and only one ended on target. Around the 12th minute, Franco Mastantuono raced towards the goal and fired a low, long-range shot towards the centre, giving him a great chance to change the score. But Yann Sommer was on the lookout and saved the day. Later, the rival defence stopped Mastantuono's well-weighted lofted pass into the box.

At the start of the second half, Acerbi brought down Borja at the tip of the penalty box, and it created a spur inside the 18-yard box for Inter Milan, but it was somehow cleared. Inter Milan missed a massive opportunity after Lautaro Martinez successfully set aside a River Plate defender for a shot to beat Armani, but ended up hitting the post. The Italian side are carving out constant opportunities, looking for an opener, helped by Martinez coming deep to get the attacks started. Both sides looked hyperactive in the second half, but around the 65th minute, the Argentinian side dealt with a big blow after Lucas Quarta was sent off after denying Mikhitaryan a clear-cut run on the goal. And six minutes later, Francesco Pio Esposito took advantage of the numerical advantage to open the scoring for the Italian side. Esposito gave his team a 1-0 lead with a superb curling goal into the bottom right corner after Henrikh Mkhitaryan produced a nice square ball. The River Plate player ratings clearly suggest the gap between the two sides, as Inter Milan were very dominant with their positioning and passing.

Bastoni doubled the score to ensure his side's progression to the next stages of the tournament. His shot went past Armani after an intruding pass from substitute Sucic. Just as the game was about to end, there was drama as Montiel was sent off after a second yellow card, and Acuna chased the Inter players as they were running to the tunnel after the game. Armani and other players gathered to stop the Argentinian from further action.

Let's have a look at Inter Milan vs River Plate player ratings.

Inter Milan Player Ratings

Here are the Inter Milan player ratings vs River Plate:

Goalkeeper

Yann Sommer: 6.9/10

He demonstrated his goal-scoring acumen by setting himself up to make a couple of excellent saves. Stopped a few of Mastantuono's shots and made a huge save to keep Colidio from getting close.

Defenders

Matteo Darmian: 7.4/10

Was good in the game, being the source of the long balls that came from the defence, had excellent passing accuracy, and won a fair number of ground battles. made a few clearances and interceptions and was playing well on his own.

Francesco Acerbi: 7.6/10

He made an impression with his passes and got control back quite a few times. However, his dubious placement put Inter in hot water on several occasions, as he was unable to stem River Plate's offensive threat.

Alessandro Bastoni: 8.4/10

The Italian defender had a terrific defence as he was crucial in the back line, making eight recoveries and winning seven ground duels. He scored the second goal for his side to ensure their victory in the game.

Midfielders

Denzel Dumfries: 6.8/10

In the position of right wing-back, he was able to hold his own and cover a lot of territory to prevent River Plate from attacking his side. He won several duels and produced numerous possession recoveries to keep the game shut down for most of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Nicolo Barella: 7.0/10

He was a true livewire in the middle by utilising his high energy levels. He frequently got possession back, and Inter was able to control the most of the possession in the second half thanks to his deft passing.

Kristjan Asllani: 7.5/10

Asllani did a good job of being disciplined with his passing, advancing the ball quickly to cause the Argentinian side problems on counterattacks.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6.7/10

He was a hard-working midfield player who cleverly positioned himself to disrupt River Plate's rhythm. The 36-year-old put up the first goal with a brilliant ball after regaining control many times.

Federico Dimarco: 7.2/10

The left-wing back had a good game as he contributed well in the defence and attack. He took a lot of workload tracking back to make sure his team maintains the clean sheet.

Forwards

Lautaro Martinez: 7.5/10

Made some attempts at the goal early in the game. However, all of them were underhit and went straight to the keeper.

Francesco Esposito: 7.6/10

The player's confidence, which had been missing earlier was boosted in his first start for Inter Milan. Even though all of his shots were on goal this time, he was prevented from scoring by the keeper's great positioning and lack of appropriate strength. However, he put Inter Milan ahead in the game with a goal in the 71st minute.

Substitutes

Carlos Augusto:6.3/10

He came on to replace Federico Dimarco around the 62nd minute of the game.

Petar Sucic: 7.5/10

He was brought on to replace Nicolo Barella and assisted Bastoni for the second goal of Inter Milan.

Sebastiano Esposito: N/A.

Valentin Caboni: N/A.

Stefan de Vrij: N/A.

Manager

Cristian Chivu: 6.8/10

The first half was dull as his team focused more on the midfield and defence, but in the second half, Chivu's side became ferocious in attack and put tremendous pressure on the River Plate players.

River Plate Player Ratings

Here are the River Plate player ratings vs Inter Milan:

Goalkeeper

Franco Armani: 6.0/10

Looked a bit shaky with his sweeping work, getting almost embarrassed on a few occasions. He made a few impressive saves, but couldn't do much for the goal.

Defenders

Marcos Acuna: 7.5/10

Acuna showed himself to be a diligent member of his team's left flank. With his vital challenges, he neutralised a lot of Inter Milan's movement and won several important duels.

Paulo Diaz: 7.4/10

In order to stop the opponents from attacking, numerous slide tackles were made within the box. But there was nothing the player could do to stop the goal.

Lucas Quarta: 5.6/10

Was sent off in the 65th minute of play after a reckless tackle on Mikhitaryan prevented him from having a free run on the goal. He was continuously inconsistent throughout the game.

Gonzalo Montiel: 6.7/10

Approaching with a great deal of aggression, he rough-handedly challenged the Inter players. He made many crucial clearances to irritate the Italian team and was booked for his roughness.

Midfielders

Rodrigo Aliendro: 6.7/10

The midfielder was good at his job, trying to keep up with the physicality and passing of the Italian side.

Matias Kranevitter: 7.0/10

The Argentinian side acted as a single pivot in the game and was good to mark Martinez and Esposito as they looked to score goals early on in the game.

Maximiliano Meza: 6.4/10

Due to a lack of enough assistance from his teammates, Meza's efforts during the match eventually failed to test the opposition.

Forwards

Facundo Colidio: 6.1/10

The winger had a silent first half as the game was more focused in the midfield. He did have a couple of chances to create something for Gallardo's side but failed.

Miguel Borja: 6.4/10

Was incredibly graceful and deliberate in his movements. The player would be dissatisfied, though, because he did not have the same flare as in the prior games.

Franco Mastantuono: 7.2/10

Before the sent off, the winger was keen to start the assaults. However, his performance declined as soon as the opposition scored and gained control of the match.

Substitute

Ignacio Fernandez: 6.2/10

The midfielder comes on to replace 32-year-old Meza around the 55th minute of the game.

Gorgio Costantini: 6.1/10

The 19-year-old midfielder came on to replace Matias Kranevitter around the 61st minute of the game.

Manuel Lanzini: 6.2/10

The left midfielder was brought on to substitute Rodrigo Aliendro

German Pezzella: 6.2/10

The defender was brought on to replace Colidio after Quarta was sent off.

Manager

Marcelo Gallardo: 6.1/10

His team tried to put a lot of intensity in the first half but was neutralised by the Italian side and when it came to the second half, Inter was far ahead in terms of technicality and physicality.

Sportsdunia Player of The Match: Alessandro Bastoni

Inter Milan vs River Plate player ratings suggest a clear gap between the two sides. The first half was kind of neutral, as both sides were not decisive and failed to take any kind of advantage of the opportunities. The second half was a clear-cut domination by Chivu's side as Esposito scored the opener and Bastoni followed him to ensure the Italian side's progression into the next stage of the competition.